![View a map of Interior Seismicity [GIF, 22k].](/graphics/historic_interior_seismicity.gif){kind=link}
Qomolangma Feng (Mt. Everest) as seen from the Rongbuk Monastery GPS site
4/2/02: Be warned. This page is really out of date. Some day I will be stuck somewhere with my laptop and will bring it up to date. In the meantime, you can enjoy this summary of what I was doing four years ago!
The earth's crust is constantly in motion. My research focuses on making measurements of active motions and deformations of the crust, and in relating those measurements to their source processes. We use geodetic techniques for this work, mainly a satellite-based positioning system called the Global Positioning System (GPS). We measure crustal motion by making very precise measurements of the positions of sites, and then repeating those measurements over a period of years.
We use these measurements to try to understand the rigid motions of the plates that make up the earth's crust, and to understand the tectonic processes that occur at plate boundaries. Our present work is focused in five general geographic areas:
The sort of problems we study are often similar for different plate boundaries; similarities between plate boundaries can be striking. However, every major plate boundary seems to have interesting and unique (or at least unusual) features that make it worthy of intensive study.
Our work is a combination of "basic" research into the active tectonic processes and "applied" research into hazard assesments posed by these processes. Distinctions between "basic" and "applied" research are slippery; in this case the only real distinction is the motivation, since earthquake hazards research has a more immediate social payoff than research into fundamental tectonic processes.
Postseismic Deformation in the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Subduction-related deformation south of the Alaska Peninsula (with John Beavan, GNS New Zealand).
Tectonics of Southeast Alaska.
Active Seismic Zones of the Alaskan Interior. There have been 3 magnitude 7+ earthquakes within 50 miles of Fairbanks in this century. View a map of Interior Seismicity [GIF, 22k].
Analysis of permanent GPS array data from Alaska
Strike-slip Tectonics of Southeast Alaska [GI funds].
Monitoring Ground Deformation on Alaskan Volcanoes using SAR.
Pacific/North America plate boundary in Northern California. Near-field study of the San Andreas fault
Study of the India/Eurasia plate collision
zone.
Qomolangma Feng (Mt. Everest) as seen from the Rongbuk Monastery GPS
site
